Tweed Shire

This article is about the Australian local government area. For the Australian regional town, see Tweed Heads, New South Wales. For rivers named Tweed, see Tweed River.

Tweed Shire New South Wales
Location within New South Wales
Coordinates
Population	85,105 (2011 census)
• Density	64.4247/km2 (166.859/sq mi)
Established	1906
Area	1,321.0 km2 (510.0 sq mi)
Mayor	Katie Milne
Council seat	Murwillumbah
Region	Northern Rivers
State electorate(s)	Tweed Lismore
Federal Division(s)	Richmond
File:Tweed Shire logo.jpg
Website	Tweed Shire
LGAs around Tweed Shire: Scenic Rim (Qld) Gold Coast (Qld) Tasman Sea Kyogle Tweed Shire Tasman Sea Lismore Byron Tasman Sea

Pacific Motorway and Tweed Valley viewed from Duranbah

Tweed Shire is a local government area located in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia. The shire is located adjacent to the border with Queensland where it meets the Tasman Sea coast. The shire, administered from the town of Murwillumbah, covers an area of 1,321.0 square kilometres (510.0 sq mi), and has existed as a local government entity since 1947. It was named for the Tweed River.

The current Mayor of Tweed Shire Council is Cr. Katie Milne of The Greens.

History

The European history of the Tweed Shire began in 1823 when the Tweed River was discovered by John Oxley. After sheltering on Cook Island, (4 km from the River's mouth), Oxely travelled 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) up river. In 1828, Captain H. J. Rous explored 50 kilometres (31 mi) up the river. Settlers began to arrive in 1828, the first of which were the cedar getters, who came to harvest Great Red Cedars and send them back to England. During the height of the cedar logging industry, the Tweed Valley was one of the wealthiest districts in Australia.

The Municipality of Murwillumbah was created on 25 May 1902, and held its first meeting on 22 August 1902, at which Peter Street was elected its first Mayor. The Shire of Tweed, with its primary centre of population at Tumbulgum on the Tweed River, came into being in the surrounding area on 7 March 1906 with the enactment of the Local Government Act 1906 (NSW). On 1 January 1947, the two amalgamated to form Tweed Shire.

Towns and localities

Duranbah Beach.

Tweed Heads Tweed Heads Banora Point Bilambil Bilambil Heights Chinderah Fingal Head Piggabeen Terranora Tweed Heads South Tweed Heads West

Tweed Coast Bogangar Cabarita Beach Casuarina Cudgen Duranbah Hastings Point Kingscliff Pottsville Round Mountain Tanglewood Wooyung

Murwillumbah Murwillumbah Bray Park Byangum Fernvale South Murwillumbah Towns Burringbar Chillingham Condong Kunghur Tomewin Tumbulgum Tyalgum Uki

Other localities Brays Creek Bungalora Carool Clothiers Creek Cobaki Cobaki Lakes Crystal Creek Cudgera Creek Doon Doon Dum Dum Dunbible Dungay Duroby Eungella Glengarrie Kielvale Kings Forest Kynnumboon Limpinwood Midginbil Mooball Mount Burrell Mount Warning Nobbys Creek North Arm Numinbah

Pumpenbil Reserve Creek Stokers Siding Stotts Creek Terragon Tygalgah Upper Burringbar Upper Crystal Creek Upper Duroby Urliup

Demographics

At the 2006 census, Tweed Shire had a population of 79,321.

	Tweed	Region	State
Median age	44	42	37
Median weekly individual income	$364	$370	$461
% of residents born overseas	21.1	17.8	31.0
% Indigenous population	2.9	3.3	2.1

The most popular religious affiliations in descending order in the 2006 census were Anglican, Catholic, no religion, Uniting and Presbyterian. A small but significant Sikh community is based in Murwillumbah.

Population

Year	Population
1911	9,514
1921	15,136
1933	17,099
1947	19,321
1954	21,144
1961	22,491
1966	23,154
1976	27,526
1981	40,050
1986	45,690
1991	55,857
1996	66,519
2001	74,577
2006	83,089
2011	85,105

Council

In May 2005, the Governor of New South Wales dismissed the Tweed Shire Council following a public inquiry that found the Council was improperly influenced by developers involved in a property boom in the area. The inquiry was commissioned by the Minister for Local Government, Tony Kelly, following community concern about the way planning decisions were made. The Minister appointed the Director-general of the Department of Local Government, Garry Payne, former Sydney Lord Mayor Lucy Turnbull and former Tweed Shire councillor, Max Boyd as Administrators for the ensuing three years.

Current composition and election method

Tweed Shire Council is composed of seven Councillors elected proportionally as one entire ward. The Councillors are elected for a fixed four-year term of office. The Mayor is elected by the Councillors at the first meeting of the Council. The most recent election was held on 8 September 2012, and the makeup of the Council is as follows:

Party		Councillors
	Independents	5
	Australian Greens	1
	Country Labor	1
	Total	7

The current Council, elected in 2011, in order of election, is:

Councillor		Party	Notes
	Warren Polglase	Independent
	Katie Milne	Greens	Mayor
	Michael Armstrong	Country Labor
	Barry Longland	Independent
	Gary Bagnall	Independent	Deputy Mayor
	Carolyn Byrne	Independent
	Phil Youngblutt	Independent

Shire Presidents and Mayors

Councillor	Term of office	Title
C E Cox	1947–1948	Provisional President
A Buckley	1948–1949	President
C E Cox	1949–1957	President
Harold Lundberg	1957–1958	President
Clarrie Hall	1958–1959	President
Harold Lundberg	1959–1961	President
Clarrie Hall	1961–1963	President
Harold Lundberg	1963–1964	President
Clarrie Hall	1964–1973	President
Charles Jarvis	1973–1975	President
Clarrie Hall	1975–1979 died in office	President
Max Boyd	1979–1981	President
Mrs Y A M Rowse	1981–1984	President
Max Boyd	1984–1999	President
Lynne Beck	1999–2001	President
Warren Polglase	2001–2005	President
vacant	2005–2008	Administrators
Joan van Lieshout	2008–2009	Mayor
Warren Polglase	2009–2010	Mayor
Kevin Skinner	2010–2011	Mayor
Barry Longland	2011–2014	Mayor
Gary Bagnall	2014–2015	Mayor
Katie Milne	2015–	Mayor